The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation Awards $15,000 Grant to Ozark Center for Behavioral Health Training in Southwest Missouri Schools

JOPLIN, Mo., Sep. 14, 2026 – The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation (“MolinaCares”), in collaboration with Molina Healthcare of Missouri (“Molina”), awarded a $15,000 grant to the Ozark Center, an entity of Freeman Health System, to launch the Rural Behavioral Health Rapid Access and Transition Coordination Pilot. The grant will fund training for school staff, educational resources for families, and stronger referral pathways in rural school districts in the Joplin area.

In Missouri, 105,000 adolescents experience a major depressive episode each year.  Schools are often where a student’s struggle is first noticed. Last year, more than 58% of public schools reported an increase in the percentage of students seeking school-based mental health services.

“Access to behavioral healthcare is limited in rural communities, and schools are often on the front lines of identifying students in need,” said Vicky Mieseler, chief executive officer at Ozark Center. “With Molina’s funding, we will train school staff in the Joplin area to recognize and respond to behavioral health challenges, provide families with practical information and referral resources, and connect students to support before concerns escalate to a crisis.”

Grant funds will pay for behavioral health awareness and early identification training for teachers, counselors, administrators, and school nurses. It will also support printed and digital education materials, referral guides, and prevention resources for students and families as well as parent engagement and community awareness events. Ozark Center expects to train 50 to 100 school personnel directly and reach up to 2,000 students and their families indirectly.

“Access to behavioral health resources is key to helping young people build resiliency, overcome challenges and stay in school,” said Jay Ludlam, plan president of Molina Healthcare of Missouri. “By partnering with the Ozark Center, Molina is helping create a sustainable model that can strengthen school-based supports for Missouri youth in rural areas.”

Findings from the pilot, including training results and family engagement data, will be used to determine whether the model can be extended to additional districts.

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About The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation

The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)(3) established in 2020 by Molina Healthcare, Inc. The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation was created to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged populations by funding meaningful, measurable, and innovative programs and solutions that improve health, life, and living in local communities.

About Molina Healthcare

Molina Healthcare, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, provides managed healthcare services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs, and through state insurance marketplaces. For more information about Molina Healthcare, please visit MolinaHealthcare.com.

About Freeman Health System

Locally owned and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System is a not-for-profit health system serving communities across Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas through a network of hospitals, physician clinics, outpatient locations, and specialty services. The system includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital, Freeman Fort Scott Hospital, Inc. and the Freeman Health System facilities in Bentonville, Springdale, Johnson and Siloam Springs. Freeman Health System also operates Ozark Center—the region’s largest provider of behavioral health services, and offers comprehensive cancer, cardiology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, and women’s and children’s services. The system is supported by more than 7,000 employees and is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit Freeman Health System.

About Ozark Center

An integral component of Freeman Health System based in Joplin, Mo., Ozark Center provides comprehensive behavioral health services to children, adults and families in an area that includes more than 450,000 residents from Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Ozark Center continually looks for innovative ways to address the mental health needs of the community and promote awareness of mental illness in an effort to eliminate the discrimination associated with it. For more information, visit ozarkcenter.com or call 417.347.7600.